Subclass 500 Student Visa: Requirements, Cost and Conditions
Cost, conditions, work rights and requirements for international students
Reviewed 2 Oct 2026
What is a subclass 500 visa?
A subclass 500 visa is Australia’s student visa. It lets you live in Australia and study a full-time course for up to 6 years and work up to 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session. Since 2 October 2026, most students can no longer include a partner or children. The government fee is $2,500.
If your grant letter says “TU 500”, that is the same visa: TU is the visa class, 500 is the subclass. Your conditions, work rights and expiry date are on that letter and in VEVO, the Home Affairs online visa checker.
Three conditions do most of the damage on student visas: the 48-hour work limit (8105), enrolment, attendance and course progress (8202), and health cover (8501). A breach of any of them can lead to cancellation.
What are the conditions on a subclass 500 visa?
Every subclass 500 visa carries numbered conditions, listed in your grant letter. These are the conditions Home Affairs attaches to most student visas:
- 8105 — work limit. You cannot work before your course starts, and you cannot work more than 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session. Outside session dates there is no hour limit.
- 8202 — enrolment and progress. You must stay enrolled in a registered (CRICOS) course at the same level as the one your visa was granted for, or higher, and meet your provider’s attendance and course-progress rules. Providers report breaches to Home Affairs.
- 8501 — health cover. You must hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the whole of your stay. A gap in cover is a breach.
- 8516 — keep meeting the grant rules. You must keep satisfying the requirements your visa was granted on, including a valid enrolment and enough money.
- 8533 — address. You must give your education provider your Australian address within 7 days of arriving, and any change of address within 7 days.
- 8534 or 8535 — no further stay. Attached to some student visas, for example government-sponsored and secondary-exchange students. If your visa carries one, you cannot apply for most other visas from inside Australia.
- 8104 — family members. Your partner or child on the visa can work up to 48 hours a fortnight once your course starts, unless you are studying a master’s degree or doctorate, in which case their hours are not limited.
- 8203, 8204 and 8208 — research and sensitive fields. Some postgraduate research students cannot change their course or research topic without Home Affairs approval, and study in critical technology areas is restricted.
A breach does not cancel the visa by itself. If you are in Australia, Home Affairs must first send you a notice and give you a chance to respond. Our visa cancellation page explains that process, and a cancellation or refusal can be reviewed at the Administrative Review Tribunal.
How many hours can you work on a subclass 500 visa?
48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited hours during official course breaks. A fortnight is the 14 days starting on a Monday; hours cannot be averaged over a longer period.
Two groups have no limit: students doing a master’s by research or a doctorate, and their family members. If you are doing a master’s by coursework, your partner’s hours are not limited, but yours are.
Working past the limit breaches condition 8105. If Home Affairs cancels your visa while you are in Australia, section 48 of the Migration Act bars most further onshore applications. Our section 48 guide sets out what is still open after a cancellation.
What does a subclass 500 visa cost?
$2,500 is the government fee for the main applicant in 2026-27, up from $2,000 on 1 July 2026. Family members pay $1,530 each if 18 or over and $500 if under 18. Most people applying from inside Australia also pay a $700 subsequent temporary application charge.
| Sector | Main applicant | Family member 18 or over | Family member under 18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher education, VET, schools and all other sectors | $2,500 | $1,530 | $500 |
| ELICOS and Non-Award | $2,050 | $1,255 | $410 |
| Postgraduate research | $2,500 | no charge | no charge |
| Foreign Affairs or Defence, and secondary exchange | nil | not applicable | not applicable |
Source: Home Affairs current visa pricing table, read 21 September 2026.
Citizens of Pacific Island countries, Timor-Leste and ASEAN countries pay a lower charge, applied in ImmiAccount from the passport used. Students applying again because their college closed (an education provider default) do not pay the base charge.
Other costs: OSHC for the full visa period, a health examination if required, biometrics in some countries, an English test, and any professional fee. Our professional fees are fixed and quoted before you engage us. All government charges are on our visa fees and thresholds page.
What are the requirements for a subclass 500 visa?
You need a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for a full-time CRICOS course, must pass the Genuine Student test, show English and money if asked, hold OSHC, and meet health and character. Students under 18 also need approved welfare arrangements. The four panels below cover the parts that decide most applications.
The four checks that decide most applications
The Genuine Student requirement
The Genuine Student (GS) test replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant test on 23 March 2024. You answer a set of questions in the online form, each limited to 150 words: your ties to your home country, why this course and this provider, how the course helps your career, and your immigration history.
An extra question applies if you held a student visa before, or are applying in Australia from a non-student visa.
The visa officer weighs those answers against your documents. The refusals we see on this ground turn on answers copied from templates, or a course that does not fit the applicant’s study and work history. Write your own answers and back each claim with a document.
English language requirement
Whether you must give test evidence depends on your passport and your provider; the Home Affairs document checklist tool tells you. If evidence is required, these are the minimum overall scores for tests taken from 7 August 2025:
| Test | Standard | With at least 10 weeks of ELICOS, or a foundation or pathway program | With at least 20 weeks of ELICOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic or General Training) | 6.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| PTE Academic | 47 | 39 | 31 |
| TOEFL iBT | 67 | 51 | 37 |
| CELPIP General | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic | 61 | 54 | 46 |
| MET | 53 | 49 | 44 |
| OET | 1210 | 1090 | 1020 |
| C1 Advanced | 161 | not accepted | not accepted |
Source: Home Affairs subclass 500 page, “Gather documents”, read 21 September 2026.
The test must be taken within the 2 years before you lodge. Tests taken entirely online at home (IELTS Online, TOEFL Home Edition and similar) are not accepted.
Passport holders of the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland, and students who completed certain qualifications in English, are exempt. The full exemption list is on the Home Affairs subclass 500 page.
Money you must show
The minimum is 12 months of course fees, $29,710 for your own living costs and your travel costs, plus $10,394 for a partner, $4,449 for each child and at least $13,502 a year in school fees for each school-age child. If your course is shorter than 12 months, the figures are pro rata.
Instead of savings, you can show that your parents or your partner earned at least $87,856 in the 12 months before you applied ($102,500 if family members are included), proved with tax documents rather than bank statements. Bank deposits, government or bank loans and scholarships all count as funds.
Home Affairs may not ask for financial evidence at lodgement, but it can ask at any point and can refuse without asking if evidence was required and not attached.
Applying from inside Australia
You can apply in Australia only if you hold a substantive visa that is not on the list of 17 excluded visas. The list includes the 482, 485, 417, 462, 407, 408, 600, 601 and 651. On those visas you must apply from outside Australia, and be outside Australia when the visa is granted.
If your student visa has already expired, the old rule that gave you 28 days to lodge a new one from inside Australia ended on 2 October 2026. The only exception now is where the ART has set aside a cancellation after your visa ended; you then have 28 days from notification to lodge.
Since 2 October 2026, current student visa holders must also apply from outside Australia unless they are finishing their course within 12 months, moving up a qualification level, doing a PhD, at school, affected by provider default, or sponsored by DFAT or Defence. Our post on the 2 October changes explains each exemption.
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★★★★★ 4.9How long does a subclass 500 visa take to process?
19 days for half of higher education applications and 71 days for 90 per cent, according to the Home Affairs processing-time guide on 21 September 2026. Vocational (VET) applications take longer: 3 months for half and 7 months for 90 per cent.
| Sector | Half decided within | 90 per cent decided within |
|---|---|---|
| Higher education | 19 days | 71 days |
| Vocational education and training | 3 months | 7 months |
| Independent ELICOS | 18 days | 52 days |
| Postgraduate research | 12 days | 60 days |
Source: Home Affairs visa processing time guide, 21 September 2026. Figures describe recently decided applications and change monthly.
Applications lodged outside Australia are processed in the order set by Ministerial Direction 115 for applications lodged from 14 November 2025. Missing documents and thin Genuine Student answers add time.
If you apply in Australia while holding a valid visa, you receive a bridging visa A that keeps you lawful if your current visa expires before the decision. Apply well before expiry: an application lodged after your visa ends limits your options.
Can you bring your partner and children on a subclass 500 visa?
Only in limited cases. Since 2 October 2026, a partner or dependent child can be included only if you are doing a PhD, studying a course fully funded by a foreign government, sponsored by DFAT or Defence, or an eligible Pacific or ASEAN student. Family can no longer be added after the visa is granted.
Family already on your student visa can be included in your next application if you apply in Australia, or need up to 12 more months to finish your course or your provider defaulted. Included family pay $1,530 (18 and over) or $500 (under 18), must meet health and character, and work under condition 8104.
Applications lodged before 2 October 2026, including any family members in them, are decided under the old rules. A partner who cannot be included needs a visa of their own.
How long is a subclass 500 visa valid for?
Up to 6 years, and in practice for the length of your course plus a short period after it ends. Primary school children in years 1 to 4 are generally granted a maximum of 3 years. The visa cannot be extended; to keep studying you apply for a new student visa with a new CoE, from outside Australia unless an exemption applies.
If your visa ends before your graduation ceremony, a Visitor visa (subclass 600) with a letter from your provider is the usual route. If you completed an eligible qualification in the last 6 months, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) may be open to you; our Australian study requirement guide explains whether your study counts.
Can a subclass 500 visa lead to permanent residence?
Not directly. The subclass 500 is temporary and carries no points or sponsorship of its own. The common routes after study are the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485), employer sponsorship on a Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa followed by the permanent subclass 186, or a points-tested or state-nominated skilled visa.
Each route has its own English, skills-assessment and occupation rules, and your course choice now affects which ones stay open later. That is the question to settle before you enrol, not after you graduate.
Can you change course or provider on a subclass 500 visa?
Yes, within limits. Condition 8202 requires you to stay in a course at the same AQF level as the one your visa was granted for, or higher. Moving to a lower level (for example from a bachelor’s degree to a diploma) needs a new student visa.
Your provider’s own rules on transferring within the first 6 months of your main course apply separately, under the ESOS framework.
Moving to a lower-level course needs a new student visa, and since 2 October 2026 that application must be made from outside Australia unless another exemption applies. Check with a registered migration agent before you switch.
Frequently asked questions
Can a subclass 500 visa holder work full-time?
Only outside session: during scheduled course breaks there is no hour limit. While your course is in session the cap is 48 hours a fortnight, unless you are a master’s by research or doctoral student, who have no limit.
What is the difference between a 485 visa and a 500 visa?
The subclass 500 is for study. The subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate) is a work visa for people who completed an eligible Australian qualification in the last 6 months. The 485 has no work-hour limit and no study requirement, and it is applied for after the student visa, not instead of it.
Can I apply for a subclass 500 visa while on a visitor visa in Australia?
No. Holders of a Visitor (600), ETA (601) or eVisitor (651) visa cannot apply for a student visa from inside Australia; you must leave and apply from outside. Once the announced change commences, visitor visas will also carry the “no further stay” condition (8503).
What does TU 500 on my visa grant mean?
Class TU, subclass 500: the student visa. The letters are the visa class code used in the Migration Regulations. Nothing about your visa changes because of the label.
